Survival Kit

After I was introduced to the TV show, "Hogan's Heroes," a few of my sisters and myself became very interested in WWII POW's. I read, "Escape from Colditz," which isn't depressing, as one might think, but actually really enjoyable. The men in the POW camps were truly remarkable. Just think for a moment of a couple hundred young men (between their twenties and thirties, mostly.) all stuck together in one place with nothing to do. Obviously, they get a bit boredd! Some of the things those men did were absolutely crazy!

Anyway, after reading about attempted escapes, I got it into my head that a person needs a 'survival' kit in case of an emergency. So I created one for my sister as a very unusual birthday present. It's small, compact and fits easily into a girl's purse! Perfect. ;-) I figured that you all may like to create your own. Here are the things I think should be in your kit.

1.) A bar of chocolate. Seriously. Chocolate, especially dark chocolate, is good for energy. The soldiers always had chocolate in their rations because it's a quick energy boost. Okay, the soldiers didn't have the yummy chocolate that we automatically think of. They had an especially nutritious, especially nasty tasting bar that they called chocolate. But, since you are not a soldier, a regular bar of chocolate is fine.

2.) Aspirin. That one is obvious. You never know when you will need it but you don't want to be without it!
3.) A tea bag, if you like tea, and instant coffee. Starbucks instant coffee is good. It actually tastes like coffee-good strong coffee! :-)
4.) Bandages/band aids and an alcohol cleaning pad. It almost makes you want to get a little, harmless cut just so you can use the band aids and feel all proud that you actually had them with you!
5.) A bouillon cube or two. They don't pack a lot of energy, but they are rather useful as a comfort broth. And who knows, you may be 'escaping' and just happen to stumble into someones garden. I'm sure they wouldn't mind if you took a potato...or a carrot...or an onion, to spice up your broth a bit. Of course, cooking the stuff could be hard if you don't have a pot handy. Oh well, I guess you'll have to get creative!
6.) And last but not least, matches and a candle of some sort. I recommend a tea-candle. They're small and actually burn for a fair amount of time. You need a candle and matches. Fire!!! :-)

Of course, feel free to add and tweak your kit. Make it useful for you. Heck, maybe carrying extra hair clips in your survival kit is very important to you. Or maybe you just have to have rope...just like good old Samwise Gamgee! Or a pocket knife. That would be useful. But remember, if you can keep the kit fairly small it's easier to carry around with you!

Well, again, I'm afraid it's been a long while between posts. Time just slips by during the summer and I get quite distracted with all the wonderful weather. :-) There are so many ways to spend your time during the summer. Take a hike! And I mean that in the best way possible. Take a hike, or a scenic walk...and bring your handy-dandy survival kit with you!
God Bless!
Amy